While The Cat's Away
by RatherBeAWriter
Summary: What have her boys been up to while she's been away? JJ returns from a long trip to find a surprise waiting at home and someone has some explaining to do. One shot. Family fluff.


**A/N: I promised myself no more oneshots until I finished my other fics, but this came into my head, and since I couldn't fit the idea with anything else I'm writing, I couldn't resist. Hope you like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) own nothing to do with Criminal Minds. **

* * *

JJ was exhausted as she pulled up outside her house. She had been away for ten days as the result of an unfortunate series of events involving a conference, a psychopathic and rather elusive serial killer and a freak electrical storm which grounded all flights, including the jet. Still, her proximity to her bed, a home cooked meal and, of course, her boys, had greatly raised her spirits.

Though her go-bag felt like it contained lead weights, as she heaved it over her tired, aching shoulders, she found herself moving quickly from the car to the front door. It was the middle of winter, and although it was still early in the evening, it was already dark. An inviting glow emitted from the windows of her house and pulled her in. Turning her keys in the lock, she let out a tension relieving sigh. She was home.

"Honey, I'm home!" she called jokingly, in a sing-song voice, discarding her bag at the foot of the stairs. She couldn't help but notice a few of Henry's toys littering the hallway and hoped that the small boy hadn't been running rings around his father while she was away. "Will? Henry?" she called, when the occupants of the house made no response to her original shout.

Still puzzling over the whereabouts of her family, she shrugged out of her heavy winter coat and turned to hang it on the only free peg. If their coats were hanging up and their boots were sitting by the door then they had to be home.

Suddenly, a scuffling noise in the kitchen, followed by an indiscernible shout and a young child's shriek, alerted her to their whereabouts. She looked in the direction of the commotion and her eyes widened with surprise before she was knocked off her feet and fell to the ground with a thud. The pain in her tailbone hardly registered due to her attention being entirely focussed on the culprit behind her fall, who happened to be licking her face.

"Momma, we got a dog!" Henry squealed, rushing into the hallway and bouncing up and down.

JJ prised the furry creature away from her face and pulled herself upright. The dog sat down and stared up at her, with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, giving the impression of a dopey smile. She had been a little wary of dogs since the incident at Hankel's barn, but this one was so very different from the vicious creatures that had attacked her, that she could hardly believe they belonged to the same species. All the same, she wasn't exactly pleased to find it in her house. And especially not on top of her. She glanced beyond the dog, and Henry, who had crouched down to play with his new best friend, and towards her husband. Will stood close to the door to the kitchen, wearing an expression not dissimilar to that of the animal.

"Welcome home, darlin'," he said, a trace of fear evident in his eyes when she gave him the stare normally reserved for uncooperative suspects and misbehaving colleagues. "We missed you."

* * *

Half an hour later the recently expanded family found themselves in the kitchen. Will and Henry sat side by side at the table, Henry swinging his legs and staring at the table, and Will with a sheepish expression plastered across his face and doing his best to avoid eye contact with his wife. The dog sat on the floor beside them so that the three were in a row. Unlike the others, he seemed unfazed by JJ's deathly glares and happily watched as she paced the room with her hand on her hip, taking in the several days' worth of dishes stacked by the sink.

"His name's Toby and he can jump really high," Henry innocently informed his mother. JJ stopped pacing and raised her eyebrows.

"Not now, buddy," Will quietly warned his son.

"I know he can jump really high," JJ muttered. She could already feel the paw shaped bruises developing on her chest. Once more she looked around at the mess of the room and then at the furry addition to the household. "Seriously, I was away for ten days!" she said exasperatedly, shaking her head in disbelief.

"JJ…" Will started, unsure of quite how to explain the dog and the state of the house, but realising that as the only adult human involved, he should be the one to take the blame. He had all of her attention the moment that he spoke and the look she gave him made him feel more like her child than her husband. "I'm sorry," he tried, hoping that apologising for anything and everything he could have done wrong was the safest approach.

"For what?" she remarked dryly, though the corners of her lips curled slightly, as her anger was momentarily displaced by amusement at his failed attempt to appease her. She never let him get away that easily.

"For gettin' a dog without tellin' you?" he replied, his statement turning into a question as he studied her face and became more unsure of the correct answer.

"I'm not sorry for getting Toby!" Henry exclaimed, jumping from his seat to wrap his arms around his furry friend. "He's my best friend!" The blonde boy buried his face in Toby's shaggy, grey fur and the dog seemed to lean in closer as though he was hugging the child back. JJ's heart melted a little at the sight. How could she stay mad at her already adorable six year old when he was defending his, admittedly also adorable, canine friend?

"Henry, we should have waited til Momma was home and talked about it," Will explained, trying to get back in JJ's good books. "And we should've kept the house tidy," he added. From the moment the over-excitable dog had arrived in the house, any sorts of tidying and cleaning had been instantly forgotten.

"Sorry, Momma," Henry mumbled, letting go of Toby and stepping across the room to wrap his arms around his mother instead. He gazed up at her with his big blue eyes and her face cracked into a smile as she scooped him up in her arms and balanced him on her hip.

"That's OK, buddy. I think Daddy had much more to do with it than you did." She kissed his head before glaring at her husband. "How about we go get some dinner?" she asked her son. "It doesn't look like there'll be much cooking going on in here." She eyed the collection of used pots and pans, and set Henry down on the ground. "Put your boots on," she instructed.

"OK, Momma," Henry smiled, rushing out into the hallway.

JJ turned her attention back to Will, who was only too aware that the offer of dinner didn't extend in his direction.

"We'll continue this conversation later," JJ warned, before making to join Henry. "When the house is cleaner," she added as she left the room.

As soon as JJ and Henry had left, Will moved over to the sink and began to fill the basin with water. Toby padded across the kitchen and settled at his feet. He gazed sadly at his new owner, who patted his head and smiled.

"Don't worry, boy - she'll come around." And he really hoped that she would.

* * *

It was late when JJ and Henry returned, which had given Will enough time to straighten up the house. He was now finishing his own dinner at the kitchen table, while Toby slept in his basket in the corner. He heard JJ carry Henry straight up to bed before she returned downstairs to join him.

"He asleep?" he asked, as she entered the kitchen.

"He went out like a light on the drive home. I didn't want to wake him," she replied, and Will nodded. "The house looks better," she stated. He nodded again.

"I'll fix it up properly in the mornin'," Will told her, knowing there was still some work to be done.

"Don't worry, I overreacted earlier," she smiled a little awkwardly – she hated admitting she was wrong. "I was just tired and hungry and looking forward to coming back to my own house. Y'know how it is."

He stood up and pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in her scent and enjoying having her back in his arms after such a long time apart. But then she pulled away.

"You do realise we still have the small matter of a rather large dog to discuss?" she remarked with raised eyebrows, but most of her earlier anger had disappeared. He gave her a careful smile and nodded.

"I know we do," he agreed.

"So, I hear you got him from Mrs Rhodes from down the street?" she asked, wanting the full explanation of the story Henry had excitedly tried to tell her through mouthfuls of pasta.

"Yeah, we were at the park and we met them. Henry started playing with Toby and I got talkin' to Mrs Rhodes. She's old and he's too much for her; she was goin' to take him to a shelter. But y'know what those places are like – they might not've had the space for him and…" he trailed off, making a face to indicate where his sentence was heading. "He's only two years old."

JJ tried to suppress a smile at the revelation of an incredibly soft side to her husband. If dinner with Henry, and seeing his excitement and love for the dog, hadn't been enough to neutralise her anger, then knowing that her tough, southern, police detective husband had gone out of his way to rescue a young dog definitely did.

"Family life is turning you soft, LaMontagne," she teased, as she lost control of her expression and a smile spread across her lips.

"So we can keep him?" Will asked, his eyes lighting up like a child and causing JJ to laugh, which in turn caused the sleeping dog to wake and raise his head. "Because I had a whole list of reasons to convince you."

"Yes, we can keep him," she grinned, shaking her head. "But _you_ are responsible for him."

"Here that, boy? You're stayin' with us!" he called to Toby, who sat up and wagged his tail at the sound of the man's excited voice. "You're gonna love him, darlin'," he smiled, hugging JJ close once again.

"Don't count on it!" She shook her head, but her smile remained. He released her and then leaned in to kiss her. At the last moment she blocked him by placing her fingers across his lips. "I'm still mad at you," she informed him, somewhat unconvincingly, before swooping out of the room and upstairs to get ready for bed.

He watched the exaggerated and teasing swing in her step and hoped the embargo on kissing would be over by the time he joined her. Ten days apart had been a long time and he had better ways of making it up to her than by cleaning the house.

"You stay there and we'll see you in the mornin'" he instructed the, now confirmed, addition to the household, as he turned out the lights and followed after his wife.

* * *

Two weeks later, the team had been called away on another case and on the day they returned JJ didn't get home until late at night. She smiled to herself as she took in the familiar and inviting glow of her house once again. This time in particular she expected the house to be as immaculate as it could be – taking into account the people who lived there, of course! She stepped inside and was pleased to discover that this was in fact the case.

The house was quiet and she assumed Henry was already asleep – it was well past his bedtime after all. After taking off her coat and boots, she made her way into the living room where she discovered Will and Toby, dozing on the sofa, stretched out across its full length.

"Move," she instructed quietly as she came over to join them.

"Yeah boy, get down," Will commanded, moving to gently nudge the dog to the floor.

"I wasn't talking to him," JJ smirked, with a glint in her eyes, as she pushed her stunned husband out of the way and took his recently vacated seat. "Have you missed me? I missed you," she cooed to Toby as she tickled him under the chin and rubbed his stomach. Will watched in amusement, a little put out, but mainly feeling triumphant that JJ had so obviously warmed to the creature.

"I told you you'd love him," he smiled. "Do you want a glass of wine?" This time he wanted her homecoming to be more relaxing than the last. She answered him with a nod, momentarily looking away from the furry face in front of her.

By the time Will returned from the kitchen Toby was fast asleep, with JJ resting one hand on his back.

"Thank you," she smiled, accepting the glass with her free hand.

Since the sofa was fully occupied, Will made do with perching on the arm and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him and sighed.

"Tough case?" he asked, kissing her head. She nodded.

"When are they not?" she replied dryly. "But I'm back with my boys now," she smiled. "All three of them."

"Why do I get the feelin' I'm bein' replaced?" Will laughed.

"Don't worry, you'll always be my second favourite, after Henry," she teased, taking a sip from her glass. "But if this one ever learns how to bring me wine, then you're in trouble!"


End file.
